Octothorpe

John is a bit rum, Alison is taking a drink, and Liz is buying beer.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

Letters of comment

Abigail Nussbaum (email)

Neon Hemlock

Brian Nisbet (Facebook)

Chris Garcia (email)

Ed Morland (Bluesky)

Elias Helfer (email)

Roseanna Pendlebury on fan writer

Florian Bailey (email)

Nuremberg in 2028

Paul Weimer (email)

Down Under Fan Fund (DUFF)

Going Under Fan Fund (GUFF)

Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF)

European Fan Fund (EFF)

Scott Edelman (email)

Eating the Fantastic

Chicken Shop Date

Tammy Coxon (Bluesky: convention sports, deduplications, staff rates)

Trish E Matson (email)

The Skiffy and Fanty Show

We also heard from DC, Farah Mendlesohn, Jonathan Baddeley, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott, and Neil Ottenstein

British Science Fiction Association

BSFA members and Eastercon members can now vote on the shortlist

Nicholas Whyte writes on this topic

The Incompleat Register

Eastercon 2026: Iridescence in Birmingham

Lucky for None

Lucky for None in Space

Eastercon 2028: Bid for Birmingham by Marcus Streets

Picks

John: Alien and Aliens

they’re small indie movies you probably haven’t heard of them

Alison: Small Prophets

Liz: Dark Winds

Credits

“Homunculeeses” by Alison Scott
Alt text: Three homunculi in jars with cork toppers who look reminiscent of John, Alison and Liz. Alison’s has a little stick with a moose head on it and a cup of coffee. The jars are on a shelf. The words “Octothorpe 155” appear at the top and “Small Podcasters” at the bottom.



Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is nominating board games, Alison should read more, and Liz bought two memberships.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

Letters of comment

Andrew Hogg (Discord)

Chris Garcia (email)

Ivan Sinha (Facebook)

Kev McVeigh (Facebook)

Phil Dyson (Facebook)

Esther MacCallum-Stewart (Facebook)

Jonny Harden (Mastodon)

Paul Weimer (email)

We also heard from Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, Els, Farah Mendlesohn, Kin-Ming Looi

Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA

Staff memberships are $100

Hugo nominations are open

Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom

We’re not recusing this year!

Best Novel:

On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J Haveland

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Every Version of You by Grace Chan

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

Slow Gods by Claire North

Luminous by Silvia Park

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

We believe this is eligible because (a) the version published in 2025 is different to the previously self-published version and (b) there is precedent through Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

The Singing Hill Cycle by Nghi Vo

The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson

Best Game/Interactive Work:

Newfangled electric games:

Blue Prince

Hades II

Good old-fashioned games:

The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game

Galactic Cruise

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

The Old King’s Crown

Star Trek: Captain’s Chair

Star Wars: Battle of Hoth

Take Time

Vantage

Niall Harrison’s list of Best Translated Novels

Fan funds

Eurocon 2026: Metropol Con Berlin

Natcon/Swancon 2026: Swancon 50 in Perth, Australia

The TAFF candidates are Lisa Hertel and Kat Templeton, to Metropol Con

The GUFF candidates are Farah Mendlesohn and Misha Sumra, to Swancon 50

EFF nominations close on 15 March, to Metropol Con

Picks

John: Murderbot

Alison: The UFO 50 soundtrack

VVVVVV

Liz: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Credits

Cover art: “Alison forgot she had to do the cover” by Alison Scott

Alt text: Text reading “OCTOTHORPE 154* *See, it’s like this. This is the first day of 2026 that hasn’t been cold, or wet, or both, so instead of doing the Octothorpe cover I went for a nice walk. And bought no board games, but a jigsaw. And did the jigsaw. Sorry.” The text is on top of a photograph of a bridge and some trees underneath a blue sky.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is volunteering, Alison is saying “no”, and Liz read her first book!

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

Letters of comment

Alexandra Lanes (Bluesky)

Ali Baker Brown (Bluesky)

Chris Garcia (email)

Fiona Moore (Facebook)

Ivan Sinha (Facebook)

Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)

Kev McVeigh (Facebook)

Paul Weimer (email)

Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky)

Scott Edelman (Bluesky)

The convention never ends

Tommy Ferguson (Facebook)

We also heard from Farah Mendlesohn, Fredrik V Coulter and Mike Scott

SMOFcon 2026: SMOFcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Nuremberg, Germany

“Nuremberg in 2028 Worldcon Bid Unveils Website” on File 770

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Kigali, Rwanda

They are withdrawing from the process

Join the “Worldcon in Africa” mailing list

Worldcon 2029: Bid for Dublin, Ireland

Fan funds

Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF)

Kat Templeton has announced her candidacy

Ansible #463 reported that the ballot would be online “soon”

Going Under Fan Fund (GUFF)

Nominations are now open and close on 18 February!

Picks

John: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Alison: Anbernic RG 34XXSP

Liz: There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

The SCP Foundation

Antimemetics FAQ

ROT13

Credits

Cover art: “Alison the White” by Alison Scott

Alt text: A picture of Alison with white hair, wearing a white dressing gown, and wielding a staff with a moose head. John and Liz flank her. She says “Behold! I am reborn as Alison the White!” John says “That’s a bit dramatic… it’s only a haircut” and Liz says “Pretty sure that’s a dressing gown… and are you standing on a box?” The words Octothorpe 153 are at the top.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is summarising, Alison is eating, and it’s all Liz.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

Letters of comment

Ali Baker Brooks (Bluesky)

Chris Garcia (email)

Duncan MacGregor (Bluesky, Mastodon)

Farah Mendlesohn (email, Facebook)

Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)

Henry Balen (email)

Ivan Sinha (Facebook)

Kev McVeigh (Facebook)

Mike Scott (Facebook)

Raj (Mastodon)

Ron Payne (Bluesky)

Scott Edelman (Bluesky)

Shi Lala (Facebook)

We also heard from Kin-Ming Looi and Steve Lockley

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Brisbane

They have a sweet new logo

The land acknowledgement at the 2022 Hugo Award ceremony from the Chi Nations Youth Council

Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast

Financial report

Greg Ketter of DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis has gone viral

Picks

John: Miniature Worlds: Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter

Alison: Titan

Liz: Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Credits

Cover art: “Be Prepared” by Alison Scott

Alt text: John’s head and shoulders appear behind a pinkish desk as if he is the puppeteer of Sooty and Sweep (Americans, ask your British friends). Sooty is pulling on Sweep’s ear. Text at the top reads “Octothorpe 152: John is preparing for the big dust-up”.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is trying, Alison is watching a video and Liz is humming.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Global inequality (letters of comment), harassment (Montreal discussion)

Letters of comment

Christopher J Garcia (email)

“Kenya: Where Can You See Lions?”

Darin Briskman (see below)

Fredrick V Coulter (Facebook)

Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)

Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky) and España Sheriff

“Barbarella Meets the Matmos”

Lilian Edwards (Facebook)

Meg MacDonald (Facebook)

Paul Weimer (email)

Renay (see below)

Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)

Tommy Ferguson (emails)

We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Brina Nisbet, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott

Smofcon 42

I’ve mirrored all the Q&As on my own Dropbox because I’m grumpy

Worldcon 2027: Montréal

They got a website!

The organisation chart

A list of blogs on the René Walling harassment incident

Genevieve Valentine’s original report

Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles

Join by 31 January to nominate in the Hugo Awards

Hugo Awards

Renay (of the fanzine Intergalactic Mixtape) has written a great guide on how to participate in the Hugo Awards

“Anyone Can Vote in the Hugo Awards — And Here’s How” by Molly Templeton on Reactor

“I Bet You Didn’t This Was Hugo-Eligible: Some of My 2025 Picks” by Kat Kourbeti

The Last War in Albion

Picks

John: The Umbrella Academy

Alison: KPop Demon Hunters

Liz: Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The winning photograph

Credits

Cover art: “Three Lions Relaxing” by Liz Batty

Alt text: Three lions photographed on a safari in Kenya, with glasses photoshopped onto two of them to make them look very slightly more like John and Alison. The top has words reading “Octothorpe 151” and the bottom has words reading “Definitely not about the cricket”. It is unclear why, because John edited all the cricket out.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)